in whom you delight, behold

Joy and relief expressed through denim...

The CEO of the company I work for was relieved of his duties last week. This was absolutely thrilling news for all employees. He ruled through authority, control, and fear. The clearest example of this was in the prohibition of jeans-wearing at corporate HQ. The head of marketing and a senior finance person both wore jeans to work one day and when the CEO saw them, he remarked rather icily, "Casual work day today, is it? I didn't know that." The implication was that it was bad in his eyes. A few weeks after that when the COO -- the #2 guy in the company -- wore jeans on a Friday, the CEO told the head of HR to tell the COO he wasn't allowed to do that any longer. Yeah, he was that kind of guy. In a meeting today, I was in a conference room with 17 other people, and there were 12 people wearing jeans.

Where am I going with all of this...

I think some people have an unhealthy view of God, where fear is what they associate with Him rather than the love He has for us. To these people, it is difficult for them to know where they stand in His eyes. They're on pins and needles, questioning their worth, their salvation, their faith. And while fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, 1John4:8 and 1Cor13 is clear that the defining characteristic of Him is love. My hope is that these people get to the point where their liberation from their improper perspective of a fearful and dark God allows them to express their joy palpably, freely, personally.